President William Ruto will not be backing down on his plan to maneuver each shilling of public cash by means of the eCitizen platform.
Speaking on the Third National Executive Retreat in Kajiado on June 19, the Head of State advised officers that “all authorities funds might be carried out on eCitizen,” and singled out faculty heads who nonetheless subject bodily receipts as the subsequent goal for enforcement.
Ruto argued that digital funds are the surest approach to stamp out leakages and blamed resistance on directors who “have issues to cover.” He urged mother and father to insist on paying charges on-line and warned that establishments blocking the swap would face authorities motion.
The onerous line comes barely three months after the High Court declared the Education Ministry’s January 2024 round – requiring mother and father to pay charges through eCitizen – unconstitutional. Justice Chacha Mwita faulted the State for skipping public participation and questioned the legality of the KSh 50 comfort payment hooked up to every transaction.
Education officers have since confirmed they may enchantment the ruling. Basic Education PS Julius Bitok says the digital gateway protects mother and father from rogue levies and lets the general public see precisely what faculties accumulate.
A platform awash with money
Treasury data present eCitizen dealt with KSh 100.8 billion within the 2023/24 fiscal 12 months, up from KSh 26 billion the 12 months earlier than, averaging 120 000 transactions a day.
Yet auditors have flagged gaps: a May 2025 report by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu discovered discrepancies value KSh 44.8 billion and warned that the system nonetheless depends closely on a non-public vendor.
What occurs subsequent
- Policy rewrite: The Education Ministry is predicted to subject contemporary tips that meet the courtroom’s public-participation threshold whereas protecting the digital mandate intact.
- School audits: Ruto hinted at a nationwide overview of payment accounts to compel full migration to eCitizen.
- Parental strain: Parents’ associations are being urged to demand eCitizen receipts, turning market forces right into a compliance device.
For now, Kenyans ought to brace for a tug-of-war within the courts at the same time as the federal government races to show its one-stop pay portal is each clear and lawful.
